Whitetails use their extremely sophisticated sense of smell in every part of their life so learning to play the wind, or possibly more importantly, how a whitetail plays the wind, is vital to consistent hunting success. How do we know what the wind might be doing? The Weather Channel can give you a general idea, but at your hunting area influences from thermal currents, barriers like ridges or trees, and different temperatures emanating from sources like water or dark conifer trees can cause it to be flowing in the completely opposite direction.
As humans we are very visual, we have to “see it to believe it.” Some hunters lick their finger and stick it in the air to find out wind direction. However, that’s only the direction in that one exact spot, three feet away it may be flowing in the opposite direction. Purchasing a wind detection device such as a puffer or duster, or using small flecks of down or un-scented cotton can teach exactly what the wind is doing for some distance - as far as you can see the particles. You would be amazed if you haven’t used a device like this, the wind currents often flow like river currents where you may have an eddy, a dead spot or a whirlpool effect.
